The Inability to Continue
by DaUglyChibi
Summary: Yuuri and Wolfram have been engaged for a year. With the coming of their anniversary Wolfram becomes depressed. He has his reasons. Yuuri x Wolfram
1. Prologue: A Story is Written

**The Inability to Continue**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kyou Kara Maou, or the third season would have NEVER ended like it did. Dx

Prologue: A Story is Written

"Once upon a time, in another world entirely, there lived a king."

"He was a benevolent king, loved by all; but no one loved him more than a certain blond."

"The king didn't see that, he shrugged it off."

"And so the beautiful blonde lived by the king's side, as his accidental fiancé, to be forever ignored and unwanted."


	2. Part 1: An Interesting Event Takes Place

**The Inability to Continue**

Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maou or that kiss in the ova would have been completely onscreen. Dx

Chapter 1: An Interesting Event Takes Place

"That wasn't a very happy story; Greta would rather hear the one about Anissina fighting the giant evil toads again." Greta pulled the covers off to go to the bookshelf, and went in search of said storybook.

"You didn't like it at all?" Wolfram tried his hardest to conceal the sadness he was feeling.

"Well, the king kinda looked like Papa Yuuri, and Greta liked the colors, but it had a sad ending. And if the king was supposed to be Yuuri then that would have made the blonde Papa Wolf. Papa Yuuri and Papa Wolf have to have a happy ending. Greta says so." Once she had found the aforementioned book Greta crawled back under the covers and handed the oversized book to Wolfram.

"Oh, alright." Wolfram smiled a little and Greta smiled back in reply. "Do you want me to read it from the beginning or where we stopped last time?" Wolfram kept the other book in his lap. He'd written and illustrated it himself. He was rather proud of his artwork; he was now much better at drawing, in his own opinion. Even Greta could tell it was supposed to be Yuuri.

"Start at the beginning, that's the best part, anyway." Greta was already so tired; Wolfram knew he wouldn't have to read to her for very long.

"So, the great Anissina was once again traveling through the unexplored parts of the Great Demon Kingdom, alone and armed only with her astonishing wit…"

After Greta had fallen asleep Wolfram trekked back to his own room. Well, the room he shared with Yuuri. At the moment said demon king was back 'home' on Earth. No one knew when he would be back, because no one ever knew when he was going to leave. Yuuri had been doing it less often, but sometimes it still felt like he came and went as he pleased. Yuuri was more mature, Wolfram would give him that much. But he was still a wimpy king who couldn't see what was right in front of him.

Wolfram didn't notice the tears his own eyes were shedding until they started dripping off of his face and onto the front of his shirt. Even then he ignored them. Deep down he knew why he was crying, and he was just glad he hadn't started crying earlier. Tomorrow he would be engaged to Yuuri for another year. Unbeknownst to Yuuri, if he got back in time, tomorrow he would have to take part in a ceremony for the very occasion. It was a long practiced tradition in Shin Makoku to have an appraisal ceremony for the king and his fiancé on their second year engagement anniversary. An appraisal, for the fiancé…

He kept on walking until he reached the door to the king's chambers. He paused before grabbing the handle. He could hear noises coming from inside. Was Yuuri back already?

"Wolfram? Woooolfffraaaamm?" Yuuri called from the other side of the door. Just before Wolfram could even think to answer the door opened in front of him.

"Wolfram, there you are." Yuuri smiled warmly. "I knew you were somewhere around here."

"Oh?" Wolfram couldn't respond anymore than that, or Yuuri would have been able to tell he'd been crying. Right now it was too dark for him to be able to see anything.

"Well, come on, I've got something for you." Yuuri hurried back into the room and Wolfram followed behind moving as slowly as he could without arousing any suspicion. He also wiped what was left of his tears on his sleeve when Yuuri turned around. Wolfram then noticed he was still holding the book he had made. For the moment he hid it behind his back.

"Did you bring something back from Earth?" Wolfram tested his voice and found that it didn't sound too bad. It faulted a bit on 'Earth' but it always did that, no matter how he was feeling.

"Well, yes, but don't be angry about it, okay? I mean, I was there anyway and then I decided, well… Would you light a torch or two? I would, but you're so much better at it, and every time I try I just end up burning myself." Yuuri fumbled around in the moonlight and Wolfram let him struggle some more while he hid the book in one of the various drawers of his own dresser. After he'd done so he lit two of the torches nearest to them with a flick of his wrist. Wolfram could now see Yuuri clearly as he turned towards him and beamed.

"Thanks. Now I can find it, my mother made me bring back a couple more things than I wanted to, but it's ok…Aha, here it is!" Yuuri pulled out a medium sized plastic bag with some sort of clothing item in it. "I didn't know what size to get you exactly, so I hope it fits."

"What is it?" Wolfram took a few steps closer to Yuuri, knowing there was no way the wimp could tell he'd been crying if he hadn't figured it out by now.

"Well, my mother always gets you such frilly nightgowns, and even though you have one yourself, I thought maybe you'd also want a pair of pajamas, like mine, so I went and picked out a pair I thought you might like…Maybe, I guess. Saying it out loud it makes it seem kind of silly, doesn't it? Hahaha…" Yuuri scratched the back of his head and smiled nervously, clutching the bag to his side.

"Give it here, let me see." Wolfram reached for the bag and Yuuri handed it to him, watching him closely. Wolfram didn't think he'd received this much attention from Yuuri in a long time.

Wolfram slowly pulled out the pajamas, already marveling at their color. If they weren't the exact same shade of blue as his uniform he'd be astonished, they looked so similar. They even had black in them, around the edges. They also shined and felt smooth. For so long Wolfram had become accustomed to wearing a dress to bed, but now Yuuri himself was giving him a pair of silk pants and a matching shirt to wear to bed. It was like Yuuri was giving him permission to be a man again. Though, Wolfram should know not to look that deep into it when Yuuri was involved. Yuuri just probably thought Wolfram would like to wear something other than the frilly pink dresses he always wore to bed. And that was just truer than Yuuri could understand.

"I love them. Thank you." Wolfram looked up at Yuuri, and he thought he'd been smiling. But the look on Yuuri's face told him otherwise.

"Then why are you crying? You were crying earlier, too, weren't you? And you had something in your hand, a book; you put it in your dresser." Yuuri wasn't angry, just a bit distressed and confused. He didn't know how to act when Wolfram got like this. He never knew how to act around Wolfram to make him happy. Yuuri didn't like to see Wolfram cry, in fact he hated it, but somehow he always messed up and it ended up like this. Yuuri wished that there was some guidebook on how to make Wolfram happy. He would read it multiple times just to make sure he understood it all.

"N-no, I'm fine. It wasn't anything important, don't worry about it. I love these pajamas, I really do. And the fact that you picked them out yourself makes me even happier. Thank you so much. I'll just go try them on right now." Wolfram usually didn't cry in front of people, he was too strong for that. But with Yuuri his emotions just broke free and ran amok. Wolfram quickly made his way towards the adjoined royal bath chambers, knowing that he could have just gone behind the changing screen…

"Wolfram, wait!" Yuuri reached after him as he walked away, having to chase after him a bit before finally grabbing a hold of his wrist. "Please, don't walk away. I, um, have something else to give to you…"

Wolfram stopped when Yuuri grabbed his wrist, but he didn't turn back around instantly, he just stood still, as if frozen by Yuuri's touch.

"After today we've been engaged for two years, right?" Wolfram finally turned towards Yuuri and stared at him so intently that Yuuri couldn't meet his gaze and had to look towards the window, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"For once you're right about something, wimp." Wolfram replied, suppressing the feelings that had just been stirred up by Yuuri's offhand comment. Did Yuuri really care?

"To be honest, Conrad reminded me a couple of days ago and that's why I left. I didn't really know what to get you, but I felt like I should get you something…" Figures that Conrad would have to remind him, but Wolfram was still shocked that Yuuri felt an obligation to do anything. Wolfram had been so worried about the ceremony tomorrow that he'd forgotten all about the fact that they'd actually been together for another year. He really should have gotten Yuuri something.

"…all of the necklaces were really girly, but some of them were, well, I don't know, you might have liked them. I kind of wished you'd been there to pick it out yourself. But then again, what would be the point of me getting you a present if you knew what it was? On second thought, maybe you should open it up tomorrow. Unless you really want to open it now…" Oops, it looked like Yuuri had been talking to him and he'd missed the first chunk of his babbling. Yuuri really didn't like sitting in awkward silences and always felt the need to jabber through them.

"It can wait." Wolfram replied quietly. He didn't want to open whatever it was Yuuri had picked out for him tonight and then just have to give it back tomorrow after… Well, maybe tomorrow wouldn't go so badly. Maybe Wolfram was just being a pessimist.

"Ok then, I'll put it away until tomorrow." Yuuri went over to the bag of things and just put it next to his dresser. That was his way of 'putting things away.' "It's almost tomorrow now, probably, with how late it is." Yuuri got his pajamas out and went behind the changing screen. Wolfram finally made his escape into the bath chamber.

"Wolfram?" Yuuri looked from behind the screen as he tried to get his shirt on as he heard the door shut. Yuuri sighed. He thought they were becoming great friends lately. Yet he still never knew how to make Wolfram really happy. Sometimes Wolfram was his happiest when Yuuri felt he'd done nothing in particular to please him. And then whenever Yuuri tried to make Wolfram happy it almost always ended in tears. Yuuri was too tired to think about the matter for much longer, and the instant his head hit the pillow he was fast asleep.

The only noise in the royal bath chambers was Wolfram's irregular breath. He couldn't calm himself down, and even though the tears had stopped he still couldn't regulate his breathing.

Yuuri just had to be so thoughtful, didn't he? Wolfram didn't want to have to go through the appraisal ceremony tomorrow, and the fact that Yuuri was sure to witness it now only made things worse. There was a rumor going around in the halls of the castle about a device Anissina had made just for the occasion tomorrow, and it didn't sound good. Tomorrow Wolfram would be humiliated, in front of everyone in the court as well as the ten nobles and whatever spectators came to watch. There had been other appraisal ceremonies for other fiancés, but it'd been awhile. His mother was never engaged long enough, always jumping straight into marriage. He had to admit, the ceremony hadn't taken place for a long time, which just meant this would be even more painful. He read somewhere that the last time there had been a fiancé appraisal it'd ended badly. Even though the king and his fiancé had been happily engaged (by choice and not by accident, of course) the fiancé had announced the next day that they were no longer engaged. Wolfram knew this would somehow end up even worse than that. He'd be humiliated, he'd no longer be Yuuri's fiancé, and because he'd been 'sleeping' with Yuuri for so long his reputation would be that of a slut. He only really cared about one of those things, though, and surprisingly it wasn't his pride or his reputation.

Yuuri hadn't realized it, or maybe he secretly had, but Wolfram was changing because of him. And now Wolfram had gotten to the point where he really didn't know what he would do without him. If Wolfram was no longer Yuuri's fiancé, if he no longer spent the night in his bedroom and stuck by his side as his fiancé he'd be lost. Yuuri didn't need another guardian, he had Conrad for that. Yuuri didn't need an advisor, he had Gwendal for that. He didn't need a friend, he had Murata (not to mention everyone else in the entire kingdom), and he didn't need a teacher, he had Gunter. The only thing that set Wolfram apart from the rest was the fact that he was Yuuri's fiancé. If he lost that status he wouldn't only lose his chance to gain Yuuri's affections, but he'd also lose his chance to be close to Yuuri at all.

If he became just another royal there would be no place for him at the castle. His uncle would insist that he go back to Bielefeld and start his preparations for ruling over his homeland. He'd be very far from everyone here and only come back to Blood Pledge Castle for important official Bielefeld business. He'd eventually become one of the ten nobles and come here for meetings, but those would be the only time he'd even see Yuuri. He'd probably never speak to him one on one again.

But maybe that was for the better? Maybe he should accept his fate. And if he was that far from the castle and never had to speak to Yuuri directly again he might be able to get over it, get over this. Wolfram didn't think he'd ever, well love someone else, because he loved Yuuri, he'd admit that, but he knew he'd never get Yuuri to love him back like he wanted him to. He might be able to move on, though… That would be better for everyone, wouldn't it? He could finally prove to everyone that he was more than just the spoiled, bratty prince, or the jealous fiancé. He'd be the best Bielefeld there ever was.

Accepting his fate, and actually feeling better, Wolfram stood from the place on the floor where he'd been sitting. His resolve cracked a little when he remembered the excuse he'd made for coming in here. He was supposed to be trying on the pajamas Yuuri bought for him. He picked them up; admiring them one last time before folding them up and tucking them safely back into the bag they'd been in before. He knew he should give them back, leave them with all of the other earth things next to Yuuri's dresser and go back to his own room. But he wanted to keep them, even if he could never bring himself to wear them; he wanted to know that at least Yuuri cared enough to worry about how comfortable he was.

Wolfram tucked the bag under his arm and stepped out of the bath chamber, looking around to make sure Yuuri was asleep before closing the door behind him. Passing Yuuri's bed he smiled at the sleeping king. He looked so young when he was asleep, smiling, huddled under the blanket. It made Wolfram chuckle inwardly to think of all the times he'd stolen the covers and left Yuuri to hug his knees to his chest for warmth. They'd never done anything sexual, but Wolfram would miss the joy of sleeping with Yuuri. He'd especially miss those nights when Greta would come into their room and sleep between them after having had a nightmare. Those were the nights when all three of them would sleep peacefully through the whole night.

Greta… that was another problem with leaving the castle. Yuuri was a great father and all, but he never taught her anything and was always too busy to read her a bedtime story or just have a private lunch with her. But… Greta has always wanted a mother, and if Wolfram was gone…

Wolfram had told himself he was done with crying for the night but he couldn't stop the tears that came with that thought. He felt pathetic and helpless, and betrayed. How soon after the engagement was broken off would Yuuri marry some woman? He was young and full of hormones, it wouldn't take that long. He'd probably marry the first woman who had a marriage interview with him.

Wolfram set the bag with the pajamas next to Yuuri's dresser and left the room. He'd had enough of Yuuri's empty gifts. The pajamas didn't mean anything, nothing Yuuri ever gave him meant anything to the young king other than that they were just 'friends.' Tomorrow, after they were through humiliating him, Wolfram would be glad to go back home to Bielefeld, where he belonged.

Yuuri was cold when he woke up, but it wasn't because the covers had been stolen by Wolfram again. The sun had just started to hit his face, which is what had disturbed his sleep, and he had the covers on, so why was he cold? He looked over to Wolfram's spot and noticed the spot was cold, like it'd never been slept in. Usually Wolfram woke up before him but that spot was always still warm when Yuuri woke up. Secretly, whenever Wolfram was already out of the room, Yuuri would crawl into that spot and enjoy Wolfram's left over body heat. Yuuri's pillow usually smelt like his drool and sweat but Wolfram's pillow always smelt like flowers. Except today, and the coldness of that spot seemed to be sucking the heat away from Yuuri, which explained why he was cold.

Yuuri finally realized there was a clamor outside his door when he heard Gunter's familiar voice shout "His Highness isn't up yet? But the ceremony is to take place in just under an hour!" There was always something going on that Yuuri was unaware of until Gunter burst into his room the morning of the event to tell him about it.

"Your Majesty, please pardon my intrusion, but you must get up and get ready for the ceremony!" Gunter exclaimed, breathless, as he barged into Yuuri's room.

"It's ok Gunter, I'm up. See?" Yuuri said as he stood up out of bed. He was glad for an excuse to get away from that cold and empty spot next to him.

"Oh thank goodness. You should bathe and make sure to wear your royal uniform, and do it quickly! We wouldn't want you to be late." Gunter was already heading back out the door when Yuuri stopped him.

"Wait, what ceremony is today? I can't remember exactly… does it have something to do with Wolfram and me being engaged for two years?" Yuuri was confused, and the fact that Wolfram had slept next to him last night was troubling. He knew something like that shouldn't trouble him and that he should be thankful for the privacy, but he'd gotten used to it. He'd even go so far to say that he missed it…

"Yes, it has everything to do with that! Didn't Conrad tell you? After two years of engagement it is Shin Makoku tradition to have a public appraisal of the king's fiancé." Gunter paused and when Yuuri didn't start moving he added, "Now please get ready, your highness, it wouldn't be proper for you to show up to the ceremony looking like that. It'd only make Wolfram's evaluation harder." Yuuri nodded, and that was enough to get Gunter out of the room.

"Wolfram…" Yuuri muttered, thinking aloud. He had no idea that this would happen! What kind of appraisal could Gunter mean? Knowing long honored traditions in Shin Makoku, he knew it couldn't be good. Why hadn't Wolfram told him about this last night? And again, why hadn't Wolfram slept next to him last night? Maybe this ceremony was even worse than Yuuri could imagine… He wanted to save Wolfram but he knew there was nothing he could do. If only he'd known about it sooner, maybe there could have been something he could have done…

Anissina's invention looked like a torture device mixed in with one of those brightly colored things on the magic box at Yuuri's house. Wolfram did not want to sit in it, especially when he could see where his arms and legs would be strapped down and some sort of device would be placed on his head. He felt more like a prisoner of war than anything else…

At least he was allowed to wear his royal uniform and not some sort of elaborate costume; he'd look respectable while losing his dignity. The ten nobles were all here and most of them were already seated at the table placed before Anissina's contraption. He hadn't seen Yuuri yet, but that wimpy king had to be around here somewhere. Even though Wolfram wished Yuuri was still back on Earth, then he wouldn't have to worry about Yuuri judging him. Everyone else could think he was a bad fiancé, but Yuuri… He hoped Yuuri wouldn't laugh and nod his head in agreement when all of the nobles said that Wolfram was a bad fiancé. If that happened, Wolfram didn't know if he'd be able to stop himself from crying, and then he would be even more humiliated.

What was he thinking? It didn't matter anymore; didn't he figure that out last night? He hadn't slept at all, but he'd made up his mind. He wasn't going to let this bother him. And after he was forced to break off his engagement to Yuuri he would go back to Bielefeld. He'd work hard and become a respected noble. This engagement would always be dangled over his head, and he'd probably get snide comments for the rest of his life, but he'd live. And he'd prove to everyone that he'd changed for the better, that he was no longer a 'selfish loafer.'

"Tell me again, Conrad, what's the point of this?" Yuuri asked for the third time. Conrad didn't lose his cool, and answered with that kind, understanding smile. Sometimes Yuuri thought it was _too_ understanding.

"It started with the 4th Maou, who courted many different people and would get engaged but then break the engagement off after two years for different reasons. Eventually he found out that the nobles started questioning every fiancé that lasted more than two years, to make sure that they were reputable and their intentions pure. If they found out that the fiancé in question didn't meet their standards they would pressure that person until they left the king's side, which explained why he had so many different fiancés. When he found this out, instead of scolding the nobles, he thanked them, and made it an official ritual. He said that if the nobles all agreed he shouldn't marry a person then they were probably right. Also, if one of his fiancés had really loved him, they would have stuck by his side even with the pressure for the nobles. And that's how this tradition started, your majesty." Conrad told the story slower each time, which was good, because Yuuri had a hard time grasping its contents.

"It's Yuuri, Conrad." Yuuri sighed, "And thanks for retelling that story again, I think I finally understand. It just doesn't seem fair, to have ten nobles who are kind of like high class strangers judge someone's reputability. I'm fine with Wolfram, he's super cool, so why don't they just go home and we call it a day?" Yuuri didn't like seeing the ten nobles all at once, one on one he could handle, but get them in a group and they were scary!

"But your majesty, even Adalbert came today to represent the Von Grantz family; he received special permission to enter the castle grounds. Everyone has gone out of their way to attend the ceremony today." Did Yuuri just say that the ten nobles were scary? He meant the 9 nobles that usually showed up were scary, add Adalbert and they were absolutely terrifying! He was glad that he wasn't the one being appraised! But poor Wolfram, he definitely didn't deserve this…

"But what about Wolfram's feelings? Surely he doesn't want to be subjected to this kind of thing…"

"He has no choice, he must take part in the ceremony whether he wants to or not. But I'm sure he's not very happy about the situation."

"Then we should save him! We could put a stunt double in his place and hide him in one of the closets in one of the rooms somewhere they'll never find him! And he could wear a wig, so that if they do find him…"

"Yuuri," Conrad interrupted him, and it had to be serious business if he was using his name, "This isn't a game, we can't save Wolfram…" Conrad looked away, like he was in pain.

"You want to save him, too! You know how much this must hurt his pride, to be questioned like some sort of game show contestant."

"It's worse than that…" Conrad stopped himself before he said anything more. "Let's get going."

"But you were just about to say something! Something about how it's even worse than that, or whatever. Just tell me, what exactly does all this mean for Wolfram?" Even Yuuri's puppy dog look didn't break Conrad's resolve this time.

"You'll know soon enough, there are only a few minutes left until the ceremony is supposed to start. Let's get going." Conrad didn't smile as they walked towards the courtyard, and this made Yuuri worry even more.

The courtyard was full of people, and even more people from the town watched from the beyond the front gate. People young and old, from nobles to peasants, there were all different kinds of people here today! Yuuri had forgotten how important these kinds of ceremonies could be for the people. And he was always surprised at how quickly people made a path for him from wherever he was to wherever he was supposed to be. There was a platform set up, like a stage, and some sort of brightly colored machine was right in the middle of the makeshift stage.

Had Yuuri said something about a game show earlier? As they approached the stage Yuuri could see that the machine looked just like something out of a game show. There was even a panel of judges in front of the stage, with one spot left open right in the middle. He assumed that was supposed to be his spot. But what was up with that machine? Yuuri couldn't do anything but stare at it in disbelief.

"Anissina really outdid herself this time, didn't she?" That was an understatement!

"What is that thing?!" Yuuri pointed to the machine on the stage.

"We'll find out soon, won't we? Why don't you sit down, I think they're waiting for you to start."

"Oh yeah, sure thing." Yuuri suddenly felt all eyes on him as he made his way over to his seat. This was going to be terribly awkward. And if it was this awkward for him, he wondered how Wolfram must have felt right about now…

Of course the wimp was late, and of course he had to act like an idiot, and of course Conrad had to keep unnecessarily touching him. Yuuri was a big boy now, Wolfram was sure he could get into his chair without all that extra attention from Conrad. Wolfram hoped that Conrad could feel the glare he was giving him because he was glaring at him with all his might.

"Ladies and Gentleman, welcome!" Oh no, not already… five more minutes at least, please! And did that voice belong to who he thought it did?

"Thank you for coming! I know the question on all of your minds, 'what is that beautiful machine right there?' and I'm ready to tell you the answer your question! This is 'Truth-or-Lie-I-Decide-kun!' This machine can tell us if the person sitting in this chair is answering a question truthfully or not!" There was a pause for applause. And Wolfram knew who that voice belonged to all too well.

"How can it do that, you might ask? Well, let's bring out the star of the show so you all can see how it works!" Oh no, please… Wolfram felt a push from behind and now he was up on the stage and all eyes were on him. Wolfram glanced over at Yuuri to see him staring right back at him with an apologetic face. Well, at least the wimp understood that this wasn't some sort of silly game. Even if this colorful machine made it seem that way…

"Right this way, sir." Every nerve in Wolfram's body was telling him to put up a fight, to try and get as far away from that machine as he could. But he didn't resist and sat down in that horrible looking chair. He didn't even flinch when Anissina started to strap him in and was surprised by his resolve.

"You strap the subject down like so, and place this specially designed cap on his head…" There was no turning back now, Wolfram was officially stuck. "And then you ask the subject a question! Let's start with something simple." Anissina gave Wolfram a smile that made him want to vomit, this wasn't going to be good.

"What's your name?"

"…Wolfram Von Bielefeld." The machine had a tall back with two colors, red and green, with a long needle in the middle. After Wolfram said his name the light on the top blinked twice, a loud 'ding ding' was made and the needle pointed towards the green.

This was beyond strange.

"Good job! See, when a truthful answer is given it will point to the green and make a cute 'ding' noise! Now, let's ask a more difficult question… Any suggestions?" Anissina wanted him to get angry so he had to keep his cool.

There were a lot of suggestions shouted and Wolfram couldn't hear any of them very clearly. But he did notice that Yuuri's lips didn't move once.

"Oh I heard a good one! So, Wolfram, what is your height and weight?"

"Um, well, I believe they are 178 cm and 51 kg." He'd gotten taller this year, right?

Wrong. Wolfram was immediately shocked by the cuffs around his ankles, wrists, and the contraption on his head simultaneously and the machine made a 'bzzt' noise along with the needle pointing towards the red. Oh, and the light flashed, too.

That was an effective way to prevent him from ever wanting to lie about anything ever again. He really thought he'd gotten taller, though, honest!

Had Anissina somehow seen a game show before? Yuuri knew she must have modeled this after every bad Japanese game show out there on TV. And poor Wolfram! His hair was frizzled a bit from the shock and he did not look happy at all. This was just the beginning, too! Yuuri wished there was some way to stop this before it got even worse…

"Alright! Now that everyone knows how 'Truth-Or-Lie-I-Decide-Kun' works I'll let the Nobles take over the questioning." Oh no, this was going to be bad. What kind of questions would they ask him? And what if he didn't know the answer? Finally, would Yuuri have to ask something, too? He didn't want to ask the wrong question and make the machine shock Wolfram again…

"I'll start, little sister!" Von Karbelnikoff replied. "Let's get started on the serious questions, Von Bielefeld. What are your intentions for his majesty?"

Wolfram looked nervous; he obviously wanted to give them a good answer but at the same time was scared of getting shocked again. 'You can do it, Wolfram!' Yuuri cheered inwardly.

"I intend to stay by his side and protect him as long as he allows me to do so." Wolfram closed his eyes as he waited for judgment, and his shoulders visibly relaxed when the machine emitted the 'ding' noise and pointed to the green.

"That's good, but not something I'd expect a fiancé to say, wouldn't you agree Von Roshvall?" Densham Von Karbelnikoff smiled at the noble sitting next to him, she smiled in reply.

"I agree entirely. Just what is his majesty to you, Von Bielefeld?" Von Roshvall asked. Yuuri saw Wolfram look at him and then quickly look away.

"He's my fiancé, of course." Green, that's good.

"Yes, but what does he mean to you?"

There was a long pause. Everyone was silent, which hadn't been the case before, there had been some background noise but now everyone was watching and waiting. Yuuri didn't realize it, but he was on the edge of his seat, gripping the table until his knuckles turned white.

Wolfram opened his mouth and closed it again without making a sound.

"It's a simple question Von Bielefeld, please answer it promptly." Von Wincott added, trying to ease the tension with a smile. It only made Wolfram look more nervous.

"…He means a lot to me." Wolfram's face turned a little red and he looked away from the table where the nobles all sat. The indicator pointed to green.

"That's a very vague answer, so I will rephrase the question. Do you love his majesty, Von Bielefeld?" When Von Karbelnikoff said this Wolfram's face flushed completely red, which was made even more obvious by his pale skin and blonde hair.

"What kind of question is that? Of course I do." Wolfram stated like it was just another fact of life, and the needle still pointed to the green. Yuuri was a little shocked. He knew he shouldn't be, that to anyone else it really was an obvious question. But Yuuri still felt his face heat up a little, especially when Wolfram looked towards him and their eyes met. Yuuri should have known that Wolfram…l-loved him, but, well, he was still shocked to hear him state it so matter-of-factly like that.

"That's good to hear." Gwendal muttered under his breath sarcastically. He obviously didn't want to put his younger brother through all of this needless embarrassment.

"What did you say, Von Voltaire?" Von Spitzberg prompted, loud enough to get the other nobles attention. "Did you want to ask the next question?"

Gwendal sighed inwardly. "Alright. Von Bielefeld, what is your opinion on his majesty's anti-war policy?" Gwendal thought it sounded formal and like something he was expected to say.

"I admit to being opposed to it at first, but lately I have realized it might be in the best interests of the country to try and…talk things out with opposing human countries." Wolfram could feel the shock begin and the needle point to red and added, "Except for King Saralegui. He is not to be trusted." Wolfram closed his eyes and didn't open them until he heard that reassuring 'ding ding.'

"Why shouldn't we trust Sara? I think he proved that he could change." Yuuri blurted out, not realizing that he'd just asked the next question until he saw everyone looking at him, including Wolfram.

"He betrayed us once and might do it again." Wolfram replied, but was given a shock and the needle pointed to the red in response.

"So, how do you really feel?" Gunter prompted.

"…I'm jealous of how close his majesty and King Saralegui have gotten." Wolfram corrected, blushing. Yuuri couldn't help but be more troubled about Wolfram not calling him by name than his jealousy. Wolfram was probably even jealous of Conrad, which there was no good reason for that, but Yuuri got the feeling that he was. Yuuri was more perceptive to Wolfram's emotions recently than the blonde thought.

"Well, is there any good reason for your jealously? Is his majesty unfaithful?" Waltorana Von Bielefeld asked. Yuuri opened his mouth to answer that he wasn't a cheater, but realized the question wasn't directed at him before he did anything foolish. He had to give himself a brownie point for not making a fool of himself.

Wolfram looked somber and at a loss for words on stage, the exact opposite of what Yuuri expected. Why wasn't he getting angry and yelling about how Yuuri was a 'useless, cheating wimp,' or a 'horrible, flirting king?'

"…I don't know, his majesty likes everyone and is friendly with all of the people he meets. …Except me." For some reason when the machine pointed to the green it didn't seem happy or relieving, and even the happy 'ding' noise it made sounded muted.

Yuuri's heart sank. Wolfram really believed that? Ok, so he did get angry and slap Wolfram after they'd first met, but when he said it like that it just sounded… well horrible.

"What do you mean? Why everyone except you?" Von Gyllenhaal asked. All of the other nobles that didn't already know about their first encounter nodded their heads.

"His majesty," ouch, Wolfram used his title again, "is known for his kindness and understanding, especially with allies in the human territories. Upon meeting his majesty I did not think him fit for the position and insulted his human mother, which I regret deeply. His Majesty got angry with me and slapped me on the spot." Again, the 'ding ding' noise didn't sound so cute anymore.

"But that was his majesty's engagement proposal, how could that be a bad thing?" Von Wincott asked.

"His majesty hadn't known that it was a proposal and… it was just an act of rage. An accident." 'Ding ding' never sounded sadder.

"So this whole engagement was the result of an accident?" Von Radford gave him a stern look over the tops of his glasses.

"…Yes." Wolfram replied meekly.

"But his majesty had claimed he would not take it back at the time, making it official." Cecilie added from her place on the sidelines.

"Oh, so the engagement was official, then." Von Radford sat back in his chair.

"That still makes this whole engagement a misunderstanding, doesn't it?" Von Roshvall asked. Wolfram's head sunk even lower.

"Yes." A sad, slow reply. That machine shouldn't be so colorful, it was really clashing with the mood.

"So what makes you fit to be his majesty's fiancé despite that initial mistake?" Stoffel questioned.

"Nothing…" Wolfram's voice was just barely audible. But they were all surprised by the machine shocking him and indicating the red.

"Oh, so the machine disagrees!" Gunter commented excitedly.

"So there must be some reason why you're a good candidate for his majesty." Von Karbelnikoff commented.

"He keeps me from becoming a wimpy king." Yuuri said, smiling when Wolfram looked up at him in surprise. Yuuri had said something right this time! Two more brownie points for that one. But Yuuri was suddenly embarrassed when he realized everyone was giving him looks of disbelief, except for Wolfram, who was smiling again. Yuuri decided he could live with the embarrassment if it got Wolfram to smile.

"Is this true?" Von Karbelnikoff asked.

"Of course." Wolfram was confident again, especially when he heard that annoying ding. He locked eyes with Yuuri and gave him a smile that he hope expressed his gratitude. Yuuri smiled back and Wolfram could feel butterflies in his stomach. That smile… whenever it was just for him Wolfram could feel his insides melt. It didn't happen very often, but just now, Yuuri had smiled just for him.

"So, Von Bielefeld, we've established that you love his majesty, but does his majesty love you?" Von Roshvall questioned. All of Wolfram's confidence was gone just as quickly as it had come. He looked down towards his feet once more.

"His majesty likes everyone." Wolfram replied quietly. The green was indicated.

"Yes, you've already said that. But does he like you the most?"

Wolfram knew the answer to this one, it was easy. Getting it out of his throat, now that was the hard part. It was only one syllable, it should take this much effort to say it.

"No."

The crowd waited for the machine to indicate the green before erupting into a huge uproar. Yuuri could hear things like 'scandalous!' and 'who could it be?' and 'so he was cheating!'

Yuuri was usually the first to admit that Wolfram wasn't number one on his list of people he liked, but he was up there! Actually, before this, Yuuri really hadn't thought about it like that. He definitely liked Wolfram, as a friend, and lately Wolfram had become, well, his best friend. And Wolfram was probably in his top three, if he thought about it. But when it was put like that, it did seem suspicious… Maybe Wolfram was his number one? Not, like, a love interest or anything, but… Well, if given the choice Yuuri would spend the day with Conrad, but only because Wolfram didn't play baseball. And if it was between Conrad and Wolfram for defending him Conrad was usually better at it. And if he needed to vent to someone, it was usually Conrad… But for some reason he thought that, especially recently, Wolfram might be better than Conrad. With Conrad he was a lot older than him, well, so was Wolfram… But Wolfram was kind of like the same age as him, and lately there was less yelling between them and more understanding. Wolfram still called him a cheater, but not as often, and there were times when Yuuri knew he was joking a little. Plus, with Conrad, Yuuri knew he had a dark past, and he had betrayed him back at Shimaron, even if it turned out to be for the better. Wolfram was just always there, and always willing to help him as best as he could, always trying to please him. But more than that, he didn't try to shelter Yuuri like Conrad. Wolfram also pushed him to be a better person.

There were other, smaller reasons. Like the way Wolfram would read to Greta at night and take care of her when he was gone or too busy. Or even his silly paintings, which both flattered and confused Yuuri. And then there were just times when Wolfram surprised him with his kindness. Yuuri knew Wolfram wasn't the same brat he'd first encountered, but he still had a hard time believing he was the one that caused Wolfram to change.

So, in the end, Wolfram might be his number one, Yuuri wasn't sure yet, and of course he wasn't ready to admit it. But Wolfram looked pretty sure that he wasn't his number one, and the machine said it'd been true. This time Yuuri didn't know what he could say to make Wolfram smile again, but he wished more than anything that he did.

Even with that very long inner monologue the crowd hadn't quieted down just yet, but they were almost there. But even as the crowd finally calmed down no one knew what to say next.

"So, do you know who his majesty's number one is?" Von Wincott asked. Great, Yuuri thought, now they were talking like he wasn't even here.

"…I don't know." A painful looking shock and this time Wolfram couldn't help but cry out.

"Conrart." Wolfram spat out, "It's probably Weller."

Green. That didn't make Yuuri feel much better. And now he could feel the glares being directed at him.

"So his majesty has been cheating on you with your own half-brother, Wolfram?" Waltorana's anger was very obvious, and his glare at Yuuri was without a doubt the most intense.

"No, not cheating. His majesty just likes Sir Weller more than me. If Weller is not his number one, than it is surely our daughter, Greta." It was the truth, well, the truth according to Wolfram.

"You two have a daughter together already?" Von Radford asked.

"She's a human child his majesty adopted, and since we are engaged I look after her, as well." It was the truth again and the nobles who hadn't known about Greta nodded their heads.

"So it wouldn't be like breaking up a real family, then…" Von Gyllenhaal commented.

"Yes, so if the engagement was broken off today then the child would just stay with his majesty." Von Roshvall added.

Gunter looked like he was going to burst, so he finally asked his question, "Are you sure about those being the only two candidates for his majesty's number one?" Gunter stared at Wolfram intently, making Wolfram very uncomfortable.

"I don't know." The green, good, he was off the hook and Gunter looked a little more at ease.

"What would you do if the engagement was broken off today, Von Bielefeld?" Stoffel suddenly asked.

"He'd probably run out of here crying." Adalbert chuckled.

"I would move to my homeland, Bielefeld, and begin my training to take over the estate there." Wolfram said with an air of resolve. Yuuri hadn't known about this, had Wolfram already planned this all out? Had he known it'd end up like this? Now that they were saying the engagement was going to be broken off Yuuri didn't know if that was what he wanted, exactly. Sure, he didn't think he liked boys, but if it meant Wolfram would move away… Yuuri was torn.

Waltorana was estatic. "And we'd welcome you with open arms."

"But haven't you been, well, sharing a bed with his majesty for quite some time now?" Von Wincott couldn't help but blush at the implications of his own question.

"Yes, but not in any sort of romantic way. His majesty and I have only kissed once, and at the time I was possessed by Shinou. We've never gotten any farther than that." Wolfram looked a little embarrassed to have to admit something like that, but the machine indicated the green. Yuuri remembered that kiss… it'd been weird. And made twice as weird by the fact that it was Shinou in Wolfram's body at the time. Yuuri liked to pretend it'd never happened.

"So at least you could leave this engagement with your dignity intact." Waltorana commented. Wolfram highly doubted that, but sure, whatever.

"Well, if everyone agrees, then shouldn't the engagement be nullified?" Von Roshvall prompted.

"Are there any objections?" Waltorana asked. Everyone was silent, even Wolfram, to Yuuri's surprise. Should Yuuri object? But why would he object? Hadn't he been trying to end this engagement since it began? Recently he hadn't been so adamant about it, but hadn't he always wanted this? If this was what he really wanted then why did it feel so wrong? This was happening way too quickly…

"Your majesty?" Conrad touched Yuuri's shoulder to wake him out of his own thoughts. Yuuri shook his head, and avoided looking straight at Wolfram. Wouldn't this be better for the both of them? It would be better, right?

"Alright, everything is settled then!" Waltorana was much too excited about this. "The engagement is officially terminated."

There had been something, a moment, in all of that hysteria, when Wolfram had believed that it would all be ok. When Yuuri had helped him get through that one part he thought he might make it, and that the engagement wouldn't be terminated. But it turns out that it just wasn't meant to be. He must have imagined that moment they shared, that moment of clarity, he'd thought. Turns out it was nothing. Oh well. It was all over and done with now. His engagement to Yuuri was finally over…

There had been a moment in all of that hysteria when Yuuri thought that everything would go back to normal, but even better. He'd said the right thing for once, right there in the middle, to make Wolfram give him that smile. For some reason Yuuri couldn't stop thinking about that smile. But he'd made the right decision in the end, right? Wolfram could get engaged to someone better suited for him than Yuuri. Wolfram, even if he was a guy, was way too pretty to be stuck with someone like Yuuri. And now Yuuri could finally court women without having to worry about an angry Wolfram riding atop a white horse bursting into the room. His engagement to Wolfram was finally over…

So why wasn't he happy?


	3. Part 2: A Young King is Confused

**The Inability to Continue**

Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maou, obviously, or those god awful boxes would have never been so ugly and retarded. ((I hate those boxes, I'm sorry. I hate them a lot.))

Chapter 2: A Young King is Confused

The people didn't clear out of the courtyard immediately, even the nobles stayed to talk to one another about what had just transpired. The only people that actually left the courtyard right after the whole ordeal were Wolfram, Conrad, Yuuri, Gwendal, and Gunter. Yuuri made the excuse that he wasn't feeling well so Conrad escorted Yuuri to his room, and since Yuuri had mentioned he wanted to be alone, Conrad didn't stick around. He knew that if Yuuri needed someone to talk to he'd call for him later. Until then Conrad would let Yuuri be alone with his thoughts.

Wolfram headed for the nearest bathroom and splashed water on his face in an attempt to keep himself from crying. He might have cried, but there was so much water on his face he wouldn't have been able to tell if any tears were mingled in there. It made him feel better, not being able to tell if he was crying or not, so he continued to splash his face with cold water for much longer than necessary.

Gwendal and Gunter headed for Gwendal's office where they discussed all of the pros and cons of the engagement being broken off.

"It will make courting a possibility for his majesty." Gunter pointed out.

"Yes, and with courting there are always possible new alliances, or possibilities to make current alliances stronger." Gwendal added.

"But what does this mean for Wolfram?" Gunter asked quietly.

"What do you mean? He said it himself, he'd become the next heir to the Bielefeld estate, which is exactly what he should do. It'll be good for him, if he can handle the responsibility." Gwendal, sitting behind his desk, turned his chair towards the window where he could still make out the people in the courtyard below.

"But are you sure that selfish loafer…"

"He's changed. It's not completely obvious, but when he stated his intentions of inheriting the Bielefeld estate there was a certain determination in his voice I haven't heard before. I think he's ready to prove to us that he is more than just the selfish loafer he's always been. That's what I think, as his older brother."

"What do you make of the decision as an advisor?" Gunter asked.

"I think that Waltorana wouldn't let someone he thinks is incapable inherit the Bielefeld estate and I trust him to teach Wolfram everything he needs to know about being one of the ten nobles."

"So you think this is the best choice for Wolfram?"

"Yes… and no. His majesty has, well changed my little brother. And Wolfram is very… attached to his majesty. I think politically and logically that this is the best decision. But when it comes down to the emotional aspect I don't think Wolfram is going to happy. He'll pretend that this is what he wants, but he's going to hurt for a long time. As Wolfram's oldest brother I don't like his majesty's decision. But as one of the ten nobles I have to agree that this engagement is better off being terminated."

Gunter smiled, "Aw, I didn't know you cared that much about Wolfram."

Gwendal blushed, glad he wasn't facing Gunter. "He's my little brother, of course I care about his happiness."

There was a knock and they both turned around to look towards the door. Gwendal said, "Come in," but was unsure of who it could be. He'd just been looking down at the courtyard and it'd looked like everyone was still there.

"It's just me, big brother." Wolfram said as he came in, closing the door behind him. He'd dried off his face and fixed himself up. He didn't smile, but he didn't hang his head low or try to cover his eyes with his hair.

"I thought you were still down in the courtyard." Gwendal replied, very unsure of how to treat his younger brother at the moment. He wanted to say something reassuring, but he couldn't think of anything. Conrad was much better at that sort of thing.

"No, it's too loud down there. And I didn't want Uncle Waltorana to start showing me off and praising me for my decision." Wolfram looked out the window absent mindedly.

"So why did you come here?" Gwendal asked. Gunter was about to excuse himself but Wolfram made a motion for him to stay.

"Don't worry Gunter, it's nothing personal. I just wanted to know how soon I could leave for Bielefeld." Wolfram looked his older brother in the eyes, and Gwendal nodded his head knowingly.

"You could leave as soon as tomorrow morning with Waltorana. I'll get the paperwork done and signed as soon as possible." Wolfram gave Gwendal a nod and a warm smile; Gwendal was glad he could at least do this much for his younger brother.

"Thank you, big brother." With that Wolfram left the room.

"That was unexpected!" Gunter exclaimed.

"Not really. He wants to leave as soon as possible so that he can't change his mind or regret his decision. I knew he'd come here and ask to leave as soon as he could." Gwendal started going through papers in his desk and got out his quill and ink. There was a good amount of paperwork to fill out, and a couple of important signatures he had to get before dinner.

"If you could tell the maids to bring my lunch to my office today that would be most helpful." Gwendal was already hard at work.

"Would you mind if I lunched with you?"

"…no."

"Then I'll bring it up myself. See you then!" Gunter said happily as he left the room. Gwendal knew that if he lunched with Gunter he'd get less work done. But… it'd be worth it, and it was just more motivation for him to get through more paperwork right now.

Conrad ran into Wolfram as the blonde was heading towards his room. Wolfram wanted to ignore him, but knew that Conrad would want to talk to him and try to console him no matter what he said.

"I don't want to talk out here in the hall, so let's go to my room before you start to try and console me." Wolfram said when their eyes met. Conrad's face expressed his shock for a moment; usually he had to fight to even get a few words through to Wolfram But now his little brother was inviting him to talk one on one in his room? Maybe Wolfram would finally let Conrad be his older brother for a change, instead of some sort of bothersome stranger.

Conrad smiled and nodded, following Wolfram back to his own bedroom, not the one he shared with Yuuri. Wolfram sat on the bed and motioned for Conrad to take the chair at the desk. Well, he'd like to sit next to his little brother but he'd deal with sitting in the chair. It was better than not being allowed to talk to his younger brother at all.

There was silence, Wolfram stared a Conrad and Conrad just continued to grin. "Go on; give me a pep talk or some words of advice. Aren't you supposed to be good at this sort of thing?"

"What gave you that idea?" Conrad replied, even though he knew he was good at consoling people.

"Well, Yuuri- I mean, his majesty says you are." Wolfram looked away, his cheeks a little pink.

"I'm glad to hear his majesty thinks so, but the fact that you trust his opinion about tells me how much you've really changed, Wolfram."

"Did I say you could call me by my name, Conrart?" Conrad's smile faltered and Wolfram looked towards him just in time to see it. "Well, you can. You can call me by my name, Conrart; you are my big brother, after all." Wolfram looked out the window, pretending he didn't see the way Conrad's face lit up at his comment.

"Thank you, Wolfram."

"Aren't you supposed to be comforting me?" Wolfram asked mockingly.

"Yes, of course. But really I just wanted to tell you that I will miss you, and I'm sure his majesty will, too."

"Yeah, right. He'll be too busy courting every woman from here to Shimaron to care."

"He's a lot less excited about the engagement being broken off than you think. He's been locked up in his room alone ever since the ceremony ended. When I left him he seemed pretty somber."

Wolfram wouldn't let this affect him. "He's probably thinking about how he can use the space in his room once my stuff is moved out."

"I highly doubt that. His majesty doesn't like to see his friends leave."

"How do you know he thinks of me as a friend?" Wolfram glared a Conrad, using his anger to cover up his sorrow.

"I'm sure he thinks of you as a friend, Wolfram, he's told me that much himself." Why did Wolfram feel hurt? He should feel happy that Yuuri thought of him as a friend. He just didn't understand why he told Conrad all this instead of telling him…

"He'd be angry at me for telling you this, but he also said that you're very important to him and he wishes he knew how to make you happy." Wolfram's intensified his glare.

"It is obvious to everyone else what would make me happy. It's just something the wimp- his majesty, isn't willing to do. He can't be, what do they call it on Earth, Geh?"

"Gay."

"There you go, that's the word."

"But couldn't you settle for being his friend?"

"No." Wolfram looked down at the floor. "I know it's selfish, and you can judge me however you want to, but I either want him to love me completely or not love me at all. I can't stand just being another person for him to befriend. I want to be more than that… Or I want to be nothing at all."

"So you're serious about going back to Bielefeld?"

"Of course, there is nothing left for me to do here."

"So do you plan on leaving all of us behind? Will you at least visit?"

"Well, I don't think of it as leaving all of you behind, necessarily. I'll come back whenever there's official Bielefeld business that needs to be addressed. And before you know it I will be one of the ten nobles. So it's not like I'm leaving here forever…"

"What about Greta?" Ouch, Conrad knew how to hit right where it hurt.

"She's always wanted a mother. She'll finally get one."

"I'm pretty certain she wouldn't want a mother if it meant losing her 'papa Wolf.'"

Wolfram just glared at Conrad, still hiding behind his anger.

"How do you know? Girls always want mothers to look up to. It'll be good for her, a woman could show her how to grow up into a fine young lady."

"You could do a better job than any woman, Wolfram, and you know it." Wolfram blushed, but now he was still angry.

"You aren't consoling me very well, I don't feel any better."

"Maybe I didn't come here to console you. Maybe I came here to try and get you to stay."

Wolfram just stared at Conrad in disbelief.

"Maybe I think if you stayed here it would be for the good of the country." Wolfram gave him an incredulous look. "Alright, maybe not the country, but it'd be better for his majesty."

"Okay, let's just pretend I decided to stay. What would be my purpose here? To stand by and watch as Yuuri begins to court women? To stand by and be ridiculed for not being good enough for his majesty? To stand by Yuuri's side unnoticed for the rest of my life?"

Conrad looked like he was beginning to understand where Wolfram was coming from now.

"I don't plan on living in other people's shadows anymore. I'm going to prove to you, and to everyone else, that I am no longer a spoiled brat who can't fend for himself. I'm going to be the best Bielefeld I can possibly be. I'm going to turn my life around. Nothing you can say can stop me." Conrad recognized the fire and determination in Wolfram's eyes.

"Even if I told you that I thought his majesty might love you?"

"…Get out." Wolfram was furious now.

"What?"

"Don't spout nonsense! Get out of my room. You've only strengthened my resolve to leave. Now get out. I don't want to hear any more lies." Wolfram didn't yell, even though his voice was a bit louder than talking level, he didn't yell. He had gained a lot of self control.

Conrad obeyed his younger brother, but turned back towards him just before he opened the door.

"I wasn't lying."

Conrad shut the door behind him, now leaving Wolfram alone with his thoughts.

Conrad looked around before letting himself sigh. Dealing with the two of them was really a pain, because he loved both of them, not romantically, of course. But he wanted what was best for the both of them. Yuuri was slow when it came to realizing what his own feelings were. And Wolfram was too quick to judge. Neither of them realized what was right in front of them. And now it was probably too late. They'd both be unhappy now. Conrad couldn't help but let out another sigh as he walked through the halls.

"I heard that, captain." Josak chuckled as he appeared from around a corner.

"And I'm sure you can understand why I'm sighing."

"Of course! Dealing with his majesty and his naïveté as well as dealing with the bratty prince; you've got plenty of reasons to be exasperated." Josak winked, but Conrad shook his head.

"I wish Wolfram would be selfish right now because it would mean he'd stay at least a little longer. But now he's got it into his head that if he's selfless and goes to Bielefeld he can prove his worth and everyone will stop calling him a bratty prince or selfish loafer."

"Sorry, captain." Conrad waived it off, he wasn't done talking, he needed someone to listen to him; he was glad to have Josak here.

"If Wolfram stayed just a little longer I'm almost positive his majesty would finally realize that his feelings towards Wolfram are of the romantic persuasion."

"So the kid really does love him?"

"Yes. From what he's told me it seems that way. He just can't piece it all together and realize that his feelings go deeper than friendship. I'm glad his majesty was born on Earth, but there are certain things about his upbringing I wish had been different."

"You mean his fear of liking another man?" Josak laughed, but stopped as soon as he'd started because Conrad shot him a glare. That meant serious business.

"If he didn't have that so engrained into his system he would have realized his feelings a long time ago. Now he might lose Wolfram forever."

"What do you mean? He's only going back to Bielefeld. When the kid finally figures all of his feelings out I'm sure he'll march right over to Bielefeld that instant to reinstate the engagement."

"His majesty will probably convince himself that his feelings were just those of friendship, especially if Wolfram isn't around to make him think otherwise. He'll marry some woman because it's what he thinks he should do. And they'll both live miserable lives."

"You talk like you've had a past experience with this sort of thing." Josak teased.

"You know I never really left you for Julia…"

"I know, I know, stop looking so sullen! Let's go get a drink."

"It's barely past noon."

"But you look like you need it." Josak winked.

Gwendal had gotten a good stack of paperwork done by the time Gunter returned with their lunch. He tried to be as quiet as he could when he entered but Gwendal still looked up at him the instant he'd stepped foot in the office.

"I've got sandwiches?" Gunter's statement turned into a question when he saw Gwendal's glare. But Gwendal's features relaxed when he realized it was just Gunter.

"Thanks, go ahead and sit down. I thought you might be another unwanted visitor."

"Did something happen?" Gunter put the tray down on the part of the desk with the least amount of papers on it before sitting down.

"Not too long after you left Waltorana came in to ask if I was working on the paperwork yet. Instead of leaving when I told him I was in the middle of it he started talking about how happy he was and his plans for Wolfram. I ignored him for the most part. But then Conrad came in here…"

"What did Conrad want?"

"He wanted me to stop working on the paperwork immediately. When I asked him why he just said it'd be better for both his majesty and Wolfram if Wolfram stayed here a bit longer. I told him I disagreed and thought that it was in Wolfram's best interest to leave as soon as possible. He couldn't make a substantial argument so he eventually gave up and left."

"How uncharacteristic of Sir Weller, usually he's pretty stubborn about his beliefs. If he thought Wolfram should really stay I don't think he'd give up so easily."

"That's what's been bothering me. Conrad wouldn't say why it'd be better for the both of them if Wolfram stayed. He obviously had a reason that he didn't feel comfortable sharing with me."

"Well, we'll have to get it out of him later. Right now you should eat, you look half dead." Gunter held out one of the sandwiches to Gwendal.

"Thanks." As he grabbed the sandwich their fingers brushed against each other. Gwendal never realized how much a small interaction like that could make him feel.

Yuuri had been thinking about, well Wolfram, ever since he'd come back to his room. Currently he was spinning the ring he'd bought for Wolfram on the tip of his finger. He didn't know exactly why he'd bought a ring… He'd gone into the store knowing he wanted to get Wolfram some sort of jewelry, but he hadn't expected to end up buying a ring. It'd just felt right at the time. He'd looked through a lot of the jewelry in the store and when he saw this it just looked perfect. It was a gold ring, the color of his hair, with a large green emerald, the color of his eyes, and two small blue gems on either side of the emerald, his favorite color. It'd seemed so perfect… Now he just felt foolish.

Maybe he should have insisted on giving Wolfram the ring. Maybe, well, maybe they'd still be engaged, somehow. It just felt wrong that Yuuri had this ring and he hadn't given it to Wolfram. Yuuri knew Wolfram only knew about whatever Earth customs he told him about and that he'd never really explained how an engagement worked on Earth. Despite that, he still felt as if Wolfram should have this ring, and that if Wolfram had this ring they'd still be engaged.

But why should he want them to still be engaged? He kept thinking of ways he could have stopped the ceremony or at least the outcome, but why? He should be as ecstatic as Waltorana was, if not more, about this decision.

He'd finally be able to date women! He'd have romantic dinners, long walks on the beach, and maybe even one day he'd get his first real kiss!

There had been a kiss; soft, sweet, and perfume scented, but strong and forceful at the same time. Yuuri shook his head. He shouldn't think about Wolfram like that. For one, they were good friends. And for two, it was Shinou in Wolfram's body. But that meant it was still Wolfram's lips that…

Yuuri needed a nice cold bath, that's what he needed. Maybe it'd help clear his head which was so muddled with thoughts. Thoughts about a certain blonde…

Girls. Yuuri should think about girls. He should think about girls in pretty dresses…

An image of Wolfram in that orange dress he'd worn when they'd snuck into Shimaron came to mind. He'd looked very good in it, especially with that flower in his hair, but Yuuri could tell he was a guy, but probably just because he knew Wolfram was a guy.

Wasn't he supposed to be thinking about girls?

In Shin Makoku girls didn't show their legs, but back home on Earth girls wore shorts and skirts all the time! Maybe Yuuri would date a girl from Earth… But he'd never been good at getting girls back home, and here he didn't even have to try. Was that really fair, though? He imagined the girls here looked just as good if not better than all of the girls on Earth underneath all of those petticoats. They probably had clean shaven, pale legs…

Whenever Wolfram slept his long nightgown had a way of bunching up slowly, getting shorter and shorter, and by morning it would be bunched up around his thighs, revealing very fine, smooth, pale legs. Not that Yuuri had accidentally (on purpose) touched them when getting up out of bed once or twice.

Shouldn't he be heading for the bath chamber? He really needed a cold bath right now.

He was still sitting on the bed, though, twirling the ring around his finger absent mindedly.

He had this bed all to himself again! Yuuri could count the number of times he'd ever slept alone on this bed using his hand. There were the first couple of nights, before Wolfram started sneaking in. Then there was… the time Wolfram had almost died. Yuuri didn't like thinking about that. He'd been so worried, and that's when he'd made a resolution to be a better fiancé. And he'd tried, but it turned out he hadn't tried hard enough. Then there was the time when Wolfram had renounced their engagement, which had been interesting, and had just resulted in the engagement being reinstated. Could that happen again this time?

Instead of getting up Yuuri fell backwards onto the bed, and now stared at the canopy above his bed. He spread his arms out to try and take up more of the bed, but there was still a good amount of room left. It was a big bed, fit for a king, of course.

He was king; couldn't he just reinstate the engagement himself? If he really wanted to he could, right? He really didn't want to slap Wolfram again, why did it have to be so violent?

Yuuri jumped out of the bed and stood up, his head spinning from the sudden movement but he didn't sit back down. He needed to stop thinking like that. This was for the better. For both of them.

Yuuri finally went to go take that cold bath. He was sure that would help him clear his head.

Wolfram didn't want to be thinking about his wimpy ex-fiancé. But he was. Wolfram didn't want to doubt himself, but again, he was. Had he made the right decision? He hadn't been in any position to make a decision, though, so he couldn't blame himself for the way things had turned out. He could have fought against the decision, caused a scene, but what good would that have been? He would have just solidified his place as a spoiled brat. He was more than that, he knew he was. He knew he could make it on his own. He knew he didn't need to rely on someone else, especially a wimp that couldn't take care of himself…

Wolfram also knew he felt like crying. Conrad hadn't helped improve his mood at all, in fact, he'd made it worse. Wolfram didn't understand why Conrad would want him to stay, didn't this mean Conrad could be closer to Yu… To his majesty? Wolfram would never get in the way again. He'd never sneak into the luggage again, or follow them around and get in the way. No, never again…

Life would be boring in Bielefeld when compared to life here in the castle. There wouldn't be all of the excitement of living in the capital, and he would no longer be surrounded by people he knew. Waltorana would probably make him read a lot of books on Bielefeld's history, most of which he'd probably already read, even if he'd read them a long time ago…

Wolfram used to make trips to Bielefeld a lot, he spent a good part of his childhood there, but it'd always felt more like a summer house, not his actual home. Since he stayed with his mother and she was the Maou he'd grown up in the capital. He knew he was a Bielefeld, and was proud of his family name. He'd even known he'd grow up one day and probably inherit the Bielefeld estate. But those feelings were so old; those responsibilities had seemed so far away. At one point he'd almost become the Maou himself… It'd been sudden. He'd lived eighty-two years before Yu…, His Majesty, had arrived. All of this was happening so quickly, it felt like his life was in fast forward, moving too quickly for him to catch up. He wondered if he moved to Bielefeld would his life slow down again. And if it did, would he miss the excitement?

…Of course he'd miss it. There really wasn't any reason why he should question whether he'd miss all of this or not; of course he would. But that didn't matter. He'd have to get over it.

Maybe one day he'd be able to look back on all of this and laugh… Laugh at his naiveté.

"So did you hear about His Majesty and the boy Wolf yet?" Anissina asked Greta, who was chasing a butterfly around the garden. She decided no one else was going to tell the poor girl and that she had a right to know. Maybe she'd somehow make the boys realize they were both idiots with her female power. If that didn't work the little girl had one irresistible pair of puppy dog eyes.

"What happened to Papa Yuuri and Papa Wolf? Did they get kidnapped again!?" Greta looked worried and Anissina put her hand on the small child's head in a reassuring gesture and ruffled her hair. She remembered doing this to a small Wolfram when he'd been worrying about his big brother in that horrible war…

"No, nothing like that. If they were kidnapped it would be easier to fix." Anissina smiled but Greta just squirmed and frowned.

"What's worse than that?" Greta asked, tears daring to make themselves known.

"They're breaking up." Anissina was a strong believer in 'honesty is the best policy.'

"What? Does that mean they had a fight? They always make up after fights, even Greta knows that." Greta was pretending like she wasn't aware of what Anissina had meant, but the fact that she wouldn't look the redhead in the eye told her that the little girl knew more about what was going on than she'd admit.

"They aren't engaged anymore. And the boy Wolf thinks that means he has to move away." Greta couldn't even look up anymore, her head sunk low and Anissina had to move in closer to make sure she could hear the little girl.

"He can't. They can't…" Greta looked up at Anissina now, tears rolling freely down her cheeks. "Why? They can't do that, can they? And Papa Wolf… He wouldn't really do that, would he?" Her small body was shaking with sobs and she quickly latched herself onto Anissina, who let her cry for a moment but then pulled her away so that they were face to face.

"They're just being typical, stubborn men. Don't forget that they both love you. And don't let them see you cry, Greta, it will only confuse them, because they don't understand. But try your hardest to make them see what you and all of us already know." Anissina gave Greta a knowing smile but Greta looked confused.

"What is it that Greta and everyone else knows?" Greta wiped her nose on her sleeve and Anissina didn't have the heart to tell her that it was improper.

"That his majesty and the boy Wolf love each other very much."

"But that's so obvious! Everyone knows that, especially Greta."

"That's why it's so silly. Men are so stubborn… Your two Papas don't know that they love each other. I'm leaving you in charge of helping them realize that." Anissina squeezed the small girl's shoulder and she nodded in reply, a determined look on her face. But after another moment it returned to a look of confusion.

"How am I supposed to do that if Papa Wolf is leaving?"

"You'll find a way; you're a clever young female! Those men don't stand a chance against your wit!" They shared a knowing look and then a smile. This was the reason why Wolfram believed Anissina was a bad influence on the girl, but he wasn't here to intervene.

"Go clean up before dinner and then show them what you're made of!" Anissina prompted and Greta nodded in affirmation before heading towards her room.

"Thank you, Anissina-san! You're the greatest!" Greta shouted as she ran back towards the castle. Anissina smiled, her work here was done.

Anissina had thought her device would be used to keep the two boys together, because she knew deep down they both cared for each other a lot. The machine should have shown that, and it almost had! She'd been hurt when it'd failed. The machine wasn't a failure, the machine worked beautifully. But those nobles had been relentless! She hadn't accounted for that… Inspiring Greta to help the two boys was the very least she could do. And if she was right in her predictions, which she usually was, the young girl would definitely help those poor men realize their feelings, even if it took awhile.

Yuuri had been standing at his dresser, looking down at that one little bag in his pile of things from Earth that didn't belong, when Conrad had knocked at his door to tell him that dinner was almost ready. Yuuri hadn't even realized he'd missed lunch. And he hadn't had breakfast, either, when he thought about it. Yet he still didn't hurry to get ready after Conrad had made the announcement. The matter at hand was bothering him more than his rumbling stomach.

Why hadn't Wolfram taken his gift? The one thing Yuuri had managed to give him and it sat there, behind everything, looking very much out of place. Come to think of it, Wolfram had said he was leaving, but when? And if he was leaving soon, why hadn't he come here for his things? No one had even asked about Wolfram's things, but his dresser still stood there, and if it had eyes Yuuri knew it'd be staring him down.

Looking over at the dresser Yuuri recalled the prior night's events, which seemed to have happened a long time ago and just moments before at the same time. Yuuri had tried to make Wolfram happy but the blonde had just ended up crying. He'd been crying before Yuuri had found him, though, so maybe Wolfram had known what was going to happen. Yuuri should have pressed him for information. Again Yuuri thought about how he could have been able to stop this whole thing if only someone had given him a heads up.

Yet, if Yuuri had paid attention to Gunter at all during their lessons this tradition had most likely been mentioned before. And even if Gunter hadn't gone over it Yuuri should have educated himself on the subject. He thought he was becoming a better king, but there was still so much about his own country that he didn't know.

Usually, before a certain ceremony or tradition happened Wolfram was there to educate him on the etiquette he needed to know. Gunter would tell him in convoluted stories that made no sense and went in one ear and out the other no matter how hard Yuuri tried to concentrate. But Wolfram was always there to make sure his uniform was on right, to tell him to sit up straight, how to greet each representative, what fork to eat his salad with, and all of the other little things he was supposed to know but didn't. Wolfram would tell him in a blunt fashion what the ceremony was or how the tradition started, and he'd explain it in a way so that Yuuri actually understood.

Wolfram had always been there for Yuuri, supporting him. Yuuri knew he'd now find out just how much he had relied on Wolfram. He started to think that maybe he needed Wolfram…

But Yuuri was just holding Wolfram back from happiness by keeping him as his fiancé. Wolfram really, well loved Yuuri, in a way that Yuuri had no way of comprehending. Yuuri had two options, let Wolfram go and hope that they both would find happiness, or keep Wolfram here and give Wolfram false hope that he could love him in that certain way that he wanted him to. Yuuri really didn't think he could do that… And even if he eventually realized he could making Wolfram wait around for some unknown period of time would be cruel. In this way he was freeing Wolfram, right?

Yuuri nodded to himself and looked back down at the bag that contained the pajamas he'd bought for Wolfram. He'd put them in Wolfram's dresser so that when the maids came to collect his things they'd take the pajamas, too. Wolfram had probably had a good reason for leaving them but Yuuri had a better reason why he should keep them. Yuuri wanted Wolfram to at least have some sort of present from him, to remind the blonde ex-prince that they were friends.

As Yuuri open the drawer to put the bag in he spotted a book, the one Wolfram had been hiding from him. Curiosity got the better of him and he took the book out, looking around to make sure no one was watching. The cover was plain, no title or anything, just pages bound together between leather. He opened it, and just from the first drawing he could tell Wolfram had made this book himself. Wolfram's art style was very… unique. It would have been popular in modern American art back on Earth, they were into that abstract sort of thing.

Yuuri had gotten better at deciphering Wolfram's drawings, though, and could usually tell when some figure in the artwork was supposed to be him. Judging by these drawings, though, Wolfram had gotten quite a bit better. Yuuri could make out himself and what he thought was Wolfram, by the blond hair and green eyes. Yuuri didn't realize there were words at the bottom of the page until the third page and had to go back to read it from the beginning. Yuuri could hear Wolfram's voice in his head reading it aloud to him:

"Once upon a time, in another world entirely, there lived a king. He was a benevolent king, loved by all. But no one loved him more than a certain blonde. The king didn't see that, he shrugged it off. And so the beautiful blonde lived by the king's side, as his accidental fiancé, to be forever ignored and unwanted."

'Well, that wasn't a very happy story at all,' Yuuri thought. If this was really how Wolfram felt then this really was for the better. Yuuri didn't want Wolfram to have to live by his side ignored for the rest of forever. His best friend didn't deserve that sort of slow and painful torture…

Yuuri put the book back and finally got ready for dinner. This was going to be awkward, but he'd have to be unwavering in his decision. This was for everyone's benefit, even if he couldn't see the immediate benefit, it was definitely there, somewhere...

"Wolfram's sitting too far away." Greta complained aloud from her seat next to Yuuri, who nodded.

"Yeah, I think he's mad at me." Yuuri whispered to her.

Greta leaned in a joined him in whispering, "Why's he mad?"

"I did something stupid." Yuuri blushed a little.

"That's normal, Wolfram still sits next to papa Yuuri anyway, usually." Yuuri frowned at her.

"That's kind of mean, saying I normally do stupid things." Yuuri was pouting, Greta had to stop herself from giggling.

"Ok, papa Yuuri only does stupid things when it comes to Wolfram." Yuuri still looked troubled, but sighed and smiled down at his daughter.

"I guess you're right. But I did something very stupid this time." Yuuri paused, but even Greta could tell he had more to say.

"Papa Wolf is leaving, isn't he?" Greta gave Yuuri such a sad look that the young king wanted to lie and assure her that Wolfram would be staying with them forever. But he couldn't lie to her like that, so he just sadly nodded his head.

"How'd you know?" Yuuri asked.

"Greta is growing up, papa, and isn't just a little girl anymore." Yuuri gave her a look of disbelief.

"Please don't grow up too fast!" Greta laughed a little.

"Ok, Greta will try to stop growing." Greta chuckled and Yuuri smiled.

"Thank you, I appreciate the effort." They stopped whispering, but it was far from quiet.

The dinning hall was full, which was saying a lot. All of the ten nobles were still there, along with the usual crowd, and there were even other nobles there who had apparently been there for the ceremony and Yuuri hadn't even realized it. Yet the seat next to Yuuri remained empty, Wolfram opting to sit next to his uncle instead. Yuuri couldn't help but keep glancing over at Wolfram, and he noticed that Wolfram never looked over towards him. He knew he shouldn't expect Wolfram to look over at him, but at the same time he felt hurt. Wolfram didn't have to sit so far away when the seat right next to Yuuri was open. He could still sit there without being his fiancé, right? Even if Mazoku tradition said otherwise, surely there could be an exception? The more Yuuri thought about it, the more he realized he needed to talk to Wolfram. He really needed to talk to Wolfram.

"You really shouldn't stare at him so much, your majesty." Conrad remarked quietly.

"It's Yuuri, Conrad," was Yuuri's only reply. Yuuri also looked away and blushed, but couldn't help it and continued to stare. He knew he was staring and that it was rude and probably suspicious but that didn't seem to matter very much. Why did Wolfram look so okay with all of this? Maybe it really was for the better…

"Wolfram looks sad, doesn't he?" Greta commented, taking Yuuri by surprise.

"I was just thinking he looks kind of happy." Greta shook her head.

"Papa?" Greta smiled at Yuuri.

"What is it?" Yuuri smiled back.

"Don't be mad at Greta for saying so, but papa is kind of dumb." Yuuri looked shocked and appalled.

"What? Why?" Yuuri was completely flustered.

"Because Wolfram is obviously sad, and papa Yuuri really should be able to tell." Yuuri had thought he was getting better at deciphering Wolfram's emotions. Apparently not.

"How can you tell? Maybe you could teach me." Greta gave Yuuri a playful sigh.

"Wolfram's eyes."

"What about them?" Yuuri thought maybe he should take notes.

"They're red around the edges." Greta pointed to the edges of her own eyes.

Yuuri looked closely, but it was pretty obvious even from here. "Oh, you're right."

"And Wolfram's hair. It's messed up." Greta touched her own hair.

"Only a bit more than usual, and that might be from the machine shocking him earlier."

"If Wolfram were feeling okay he would've fixed his hair earlier."

"Maybe he's been busy?" Greta shrugged. Then she tapped Yuuri and motioned for him to lean closer.

"Also, Wolfram has been drinking a lot more than he usually does, without eating any of his food." Greta whispered and Yuuri gave her a surprised look.

"I've been looking at him this whole time and didn't even notice!"

"Papa Yuuri has been distracted, hasn't he?" Greta grinned.

"I… I guess you could say that." Yuuri looked away and blushed, though he wasn't quite sure why.

"Papa Yuuri should talk to Wolfram after dinner." Yuuri looked at her and nodded.

"You're right. I should." And so he would.

"You know he keeps looking over here at you, right?" Waltorana commented. Wolfram shrugged.

"No, I didn't know until you told me because I'm not looking at him. But thanks for making me feel awkward." Wolfram was a little drunk. Just a little. It was okay. It helped him not think. And if he focused on the glass as he emptied it and someone else refilled it he didn't have to look over there. There was probably some food on his plate, but he wasn't looking at that either. He was focused, determined even. Wine was such a wondrous thing when one was depressed. He didn't care about the stupid headache he'd have in the morning. He would have had a headache anyway. It was either get drunk and pass out or cry himself to sleep in a pathetic, girlish sort of way. Getting shit-faced was the better option, in his opinion. So that's what he was in the process of doing.

"You shouldn't drink too much…" someone commented from his left. He laughed and continued sipping at his newest glass of wine. Then he laughed again for no particular reason.

Waltorana might have stopped his precious nephew from his self-destruction or even berated him for making a bad impression as the future heir to the Bielefeld estate, but he didn't. Even he knew how much Wolfram was hurting, though Waltorana thought this would all turn out for the better in the end. So he watched Wolfram with a frown but kept his mouth shut for the most part.

"I think I'll be retiring early." Wolfram smiled as his glass was refilled, "But not just yet."

"Hey, Wolfram! Wait up!" Wolfram heard someone say that and stopped, hoping someone had actually said it and he wasn't just hearing things.

"Eh?" Wolfram turned around slowly to see Yuuri walking towards him. "Oh, it's you."

Wolfram didn't have disdain in his voice, but he didn't look excited to see Yuuri either. Yuuri could smell the alcohol on his breath from a good distance away.

"Hey, I wanted to talk to you." Yuuri smiled, Wolfram didn't seem to care.

"Well, let's talk in my room, since we're almost there anyway. And I can sit down, the world's turning a bit fast right now." Wolfram made sense in his head and couldn't bring himself to care if it made sense out loud.

"Okay." Yuuri replied as he obediently followed Wolfram. He'd been lucky to catch him in the hallway. Yuuri wasn't too sure if he remembered which one was Wolfram's room…

"Stupid door, being difficult…" Wolfram muttered as he tried to open the door. Yuuri opened it for him after a couple more seconds of awkward struggling. "Thanks, wimp." Wolfram smiled, and Yuuri smiled back, glad that he didn't have to hear Wolfram call him 'your majesty.'

Yuuri shut the door and looked around. This room was much smaller than his, sparsely furnished, and didn't really suit Wolfram. Wolfram looked like he belonged in the royal chambers. He looked out of place here.

"So, what do you want to talk about? The weather? It sucks. I hate it when the wind does that, don't you? I can't even hear myself think!" There was no wind in the room, Yuuri noted, but he smiled anyway.

"I just wanted to talk to you, I still want to be your friend, you know." Wolfram smiled at him, and then the smile turned into a chuckle, which turned into full blown laughter.

"That's great, really great. No, really, really great. So great. Thanks. Thank you. That's great." Wolfram said, still laughing a little. He looked over at Yuuri, his cheeks red from the laughter and alcohol.

"I really mean it." Yuuri looked a little troubled, Wolfram wasn't taking him seriously. But what did he expect? Wolfram was really drunk. Maybe this wasn't the best time to talk to him. But now their time together was limited…

"When do you leave for Bielefeld?" Yuuri asked, hoping Wolfram was sober enough to remember.

"Um, ah, let me think… oh yes, in the morning. Whenever that blasted sun decides to rise. I hope he sleeps in." Wolfram giggled but Yuuri could feel the color drain from his face.

"Tomorrow morning?" Yuuri wouldn't believe it.

"Uh huh." Wolfram smiled and nodded. Suddenly he patted the spot next to him on the bed. "Sit next to me, you're too tall. Hurts my neck to look up at you all the time, you know? We're supposed to be the same height, you know." Yuuri conceded, but kept that look of disbelief on his face. Yuuri sat down next to Wolfram and the bed sunk in a bit, which was enough to make Wolfram loose his balance. He fell onto Yuuri's shoulder and continued to lean against him, unable to find the strength or resolve to move.

"I'll miss you." Yuuri decided that's really what'd been bothering him, he had needed to let Wolfram know that he'd miss him.

"Mmmm 'kay." Wolfram mumbled, leaning on Yuuri more and more, enjoying the warmth. He was getting sleepy really quickly. He felt like he was being attacked by sleep ninjas. But he had to fight them and stay awake, Yuuri was trying to tell him something.

"A lot, I'll miss you a lot, Wolfram. If you don't remember anything else when you wake up in the morning, remember that." Wolfram nodded, and Yuuri suddenly felt the need to continue. "I-I don't know what I'll do when you're gone, the room will feel really empty, it already does… Will you write to me from Bielefeld?"

"Um, I guess I could. I'd start the letter with 'Dear wimp, you suck, I miss you, too. Don't marry a floozy just because she bats her eyelashes at you. You can do better. Make sure she's a good mom for Greta or I'll punch you right in your face.' And then I'd draw you a picture right there in the middle of the letter of me punching you in the face." Wolfram smiled, his eyes had been closed for awhile but he opened them up a little to look over a Yuuri, who smiled warmly, making Wolfram feel even more comfy-cozy.

"I don't think I'll marry someone so soon." Yuuri replied, still smiling at the thought of Wolfram's little drawing.

"Why not?" Wolfram asked quietly. "I thought that's why you wanted to get away from me so badly."

"Who said I wanted to get away from you?" Yuuri's brows were furrowed, Wolfram poked at the wrinkles. They looked funny on Yuuri.

"I did. You did. Someone did. It's obvious, no one needs to really say it." Wolfram let his hand fall after poking Yuuri's face and it landed on Yuuri's leg. Oh well, he didn't feel like moving it.

"Well, I'm telling you right now that I don't want to get away from you. And I'm not going to go marry someone as soon as you leave. I'll be too busy missing you." Yuuri thought for a moment that alcohol might be contagious, but that was dumb, he was just spilling his guts because somewhere deep down he knew Wolfram wouldn't remember a single word of this in the morning. In the morning… when he left. It made Yuuri sad but he also felt at ease here in this moment.

"Really? Well, maybe I shouldn't go then…" Wolfram snuggled closer. Yuuri would miss him, how nice. Not as nice as the warmth he was giving him right now, but nice nonetheless.

"I'd be happy if you stayed." Yuuri smiled. He realized Wolfram was close, really close, and only getting closer. But it was nice, and above all it felt right. He hadn't felt right all day, but right here, right now, he did.

"But I can't." Wolfram said suddenly, with resolve.

"Why not?" The sudden change confused Yuuri.

"Just, just… can't. I can't remember right now. Something to do with you, something to do with Bielefeld. Maybe I know. Not right now, though." Wolfram was going to fall asleep soon, he knew it. He couldn't fend off the sleep ninjas for much longer.

"But, now is all we have! You're leaving me tomorrow." Yuuri knew he sounded a bit desperate. He didn't care.

"No, wimp, you're wrong. I'm not dying, so it's not forever, and Bielefeld's not so far. If you need me, just tell me, I'll be there. Didn't I tell you that I'd always be there for you? You have to trust me. I can't remember right now, but I've got a good reason. But no reason is too good. If you need me, just tell me, I'll be there. I feel like I've said that too many times. But I can't say it too many times. I'll be there for you. You know, if you fall I'll fall with you." There was a pause, Yuuri thought Wolfram might have fallen asleep. "I love you, Yuuri… I really, really, really do. A lot." Yuuri's face was flushed as he looked down at Wolfram, who was surprisingly looking back up at him.

"Can I try something?" Wolfram asked, looking deep into Yuuri's eyes. Yuuri knew he could do nothing but nod.

"I'm really, really drunk, so don't be angry…" Wolfram whispered as he pulled himself up to bring his face closer to Yuuri's. And then, out of nowhere it seemed, even though he'd been looking at Wolfram the whole time, their lips met. Wolfram pushed against him, and Yuuri closed his eyes. Wolfram tasted of alcohol and something else, but mostly alcohol. And that smell that was so specific to Wolfram was masked by the smell of alcohol. But Yuuri couldn't pull away… In fact, he had to stop himself from pushing back. Wolfram pulled away from a moment, only to lean in again and press their lips together, his hand having found its way into Yuuri's hair at some point. Wolfram's other hand was still in Yuuri's lap, and his body was so close, pressing against him. Wolfram suddenly pulled away and stayed away. Yuuri knew he should have been relieved, but his face showed that he was only disappointed.

"I can't taste you through the alcohol. Bummer…" Wolfram then fell back onto the bed and tried to crawl under the sheets, but Yuuri was in the way. When Yuuri realized what was going on he got up and tucked Wolfram in, still very much confused.

"Thanks. Goodnight, Yuuri." Wolfram turned away and snuggled into the covers. Yuuri stood there for a second, just, well, standing.

"Goodnight, Wolfram." Yuuri finally muttered, but he still didn't move.

"Wait." Wolfram faced him again, not realizing he hadn't moved yet. "I need a kiss goodnight." Wolfram closed his eyes and waited. Yuuri decided that it couldn't hurt. He leaned down and gave Wolfram a soft kiss on his lips.

"I meant on my forehead, that's what a goodnight kiss is, duh." Wolfram said, his eyes squinting at Yuuri through the sleepiness that was trying to keep them closed. "But I liked that one better." Wolfram once again turned away from him and almost instantaneously Yuuri could hear his breathing slow, meaning he'd fallen asleep.

Wolfram would have one hell of a headache in the morning, yet Yuuri couldn't help but feel jealous of him. At least Wolfram wouldn't remember any of that. Yuuri, on the other hand, would remember all of it. No matter how hard he tired, he knew he'd never forget a second.

Yuuri walked back to his room in a zombie-like state from Wolfram's room. Luckily, no one other than Josak saw him, and Josak didn't feel like pestering him tonight. Kid looked like he had enough on his mind.

Try as he might to rationalize it, he knew he wouldn't be able to. Yuuri knew there had been something just now. But he also had to pretend like there hadn't been. If Wolfram remembered in the morning, maybe things would be different. But if Wolfram never remembered Yuuri would have to pretend like it'd never happened. Yuuri felt almost like he'd taken advantage of Wolfram, even though Wolfram had been the one to come onto him.

When Yuuri made it to his room he collapsed onto his bed, but even though he was really tired he couldn't fall asleep. All he could think about was Wolfram. And he shouldn't think about Wolfram. Especially not in the way that he was thinking about Wolfram right now. There shouldn't be a pooling heat in his stomach; he shouldn't have a certain something bothering him about being trapped in his pants. And all of this should definitely not have happened while he was kissing his best friend. He shouldn't have been kissing his best friend in the first place. And all of those beautiful things that Wolfram had said to make him feel so right shouldn't have reassured him.

Wolfram had been drunk. Wolfram wouldn't remember any of that in the morning. None of it… Yuuri felt like he'd used Wolfram but he also felt used at the same time. It didn't matter, though. Wolfram had been drunk. That didn't explain everything that had just happened, but it explained enough. Wolfram had been drunk and Wolfram would be leaving in the morning. Yuuri tried to use these facts to console himself but it didn't work, and for some reason he felt like crying. He didn't know why he felt like crying, he just did. He might have cried, just a little, maybe. But he didn't know why. He was really confused.

Wolfram would be leaving in the morning, and even though Wolfram had said he'd be there for Yuuri, he'd been drunk off his ass. Wolfram was leaving, and Yuuri felt like it was for good.

He didn't want Wolfram to go, that was the only thing he was completely sure of right now. He really just wanted Wolfram to stay. Even if Wolfram wasn't his fiancé, Yuuri wanted Wolfram to stay.

He couldn't believe that Wolfram was actually leaving him…

What had he done wrong?

Oh yeah, everything…


End file.
